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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22742878">A Timely Rescue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurefishnets/pseuds/azurefishnets'>azurefishnets</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cats being cats, Domestic Fluff, Other, Slice of Life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:40:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22742878</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurefishnets/pseuds/azurefishnets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Alma &amp; Sissel: plot twist, she saves him. Did he misplace his body? Miscalculate some core jump?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alma &amp; Sissel, Background Alma/Cabanela/Jowd (Ghost Trick)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Chocolate Box - Round 5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Timely Rescue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/laughingpineapple/gifts">laughingpineapple</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sissel lay, limp and boneless, in his favored place over the heater vent. This was a common sight and should not have been worrying, but for the fact that he had been there last night as well. It was now late afternoon of the next day; Kamila had run in from school and patted him, and he hadn’t moved. Her worry, although she didn’t as yet know his secret, had infected Alma with her nerves. Sissel was still warm, still pliant. Kamila’s immediate thought that he was sick and they needed to call the vet immediately had to be headed off at the pass, and so Alma sent Kamila upstairs, telling her she’d keep an eye on their pet, and when she was sure her daughter was out of earshot, headed straight to the phone.</p><p>She dialed Jowd’s office and spoke briefly to him, but he hadn’t taken Sissel that day, and Cabanela, who of course was also in Jowd’s office, agreed. Alma let them go a little reluctantly, having taken the opportunity to do a little flirting and thus winning a promise from Cabanela that he would bring dinner that night—not that that was the endgame but it was certainly a delightful bonus. She hung up the phone, but not before saying into the empty air in the receiver (and feeling a little silly about it) “Sissel, if you’re there, Jowd made sure I’ve got one of your cores in my hairbow--come on back, all right? We’re worried.”</p><p>She stepped away from the phone, but the living room was still quiet and calm. Sissel didn’t move. Nothing did, an unusual situation at the best of times in their household. It was unnatural for it all to be so still. Alma thought about it for a moment, then headed up to her daughter’s room, where Kamila tinkered with her newest homework from her mentor.</p><p>Alma sat on the bed, watching her in fascination. Kamila had the magic touch with machines, and neither Alma nor Jowd could figure out where she’d gotten it, but it was amazing to watch the parts come together under her fingers and create something wholly new out of what Alma would have sworn was merely junk.</p><p>“Is Sissy OK?” Kmaila asked, surprising Alma, who’d thought her daughter was deep in the creative fugue she sometimes sunk into. She’d hoped that Sissel was just up here, getting into his usual benign curiosities and pranks, but nothing moved under her daughter’s sure fingers that Kamila hadn’t meant to. The rest of the room was in its usual state of mild disorder that Kamila fancied.</p><p>“Well, he’s still being awfully still,” Alma answered honestly. “I thought I might take him to the vet, but I wondered—I know you were out for a while with him yesterday. Could you tell me where you went?”</p><p>Kamila looked thoughtful. “We visited Lynne and Missile over by the park—you know Lynne doesn’t like it there much? I don’t really know why, but we didn’t stay. Then we walked over to Lynne’s apartment and Amelie and her mama were there for once! Guess Amelie’s mama is on one of her deadlines and needed a quiet writing place, so Amelie and I played for awhile Then Sissy and I came home.”</p><p>“And he was fine all that time?” Alma asked, still fishing for clues.</p><p>“He seemed tired when we got home and went straight for his favorite spot…” Kamila said slowly, “and I let him be because he and Missile played really hard. They were so cute, mama, you should have seen it!”</p><p>Alma smiled, having seen the way they played. She was sure they were. “Well, Papa will be home in a few minutes and Uncle Cabs is coming over later with dinner—do you want to come with me to the vet’s?”</p><p>Kamila looked worried but reluctant, and her eyes slid to her project. “I’m almost done with this, mama, and I’m just going to stay in my room. Is it OK if I stay?”</p><p>“You know how your father gets about you being alone too long.”</p><p>“Yeah…” Kamila sighed. “I’m old enough I could handle it, mama.”</p><p>Alma sighed too. She understood both sides all too well but tended to fall on Jowd’s side on this one. She thought for a minute and smiled. She might have an idea how to solve both problems. “How about if I call Lynne and Missile over?” Alma suggested. “That way you can show her your project, and she can stay for dinner.”</p><p>Kamila brightened. “That would be fine!” But her face turned worried again. “But Sissy… he’s going to be OK, right?”</p><p>“Of course he will be,” Alma said, hugging her. “The vet will see him right, I’m sure.”</p><p>She hurried back down the stairs, calling Lynne and explaining that she’d like both Lynne and Missile to come to dinner, and why. It was good to have Lynne in on this information now—she’d known the details for so long but both Jowd and Sissel had wanted to wait to tell Lynne until they were sure Lynne still wanted to be more or less who she’d been before, and she supposed she really couldn’t blame them. It was still frustrating sometimes that Kamila didn’t know, but it was an awfully dark tale for her bright, happy daughter, and once begun, they all knew her curiosity would never let her rest until she knew the whys and wherefores. Let her wait a little longer then. And for now, this small mystery of Sissel’s disappearance would fall to Alma.</p><p>Lynne showed up very quickly, panting a little, along with Missile, who, being a dog, panted a lot. Alma snickered a little at the congruencies of pet and owner, and looked down at Missile, whose bright intelligent eyes winked back at her. She knew he understood what they were doing, so she retrieved her favorite Sissel-carrying bag and Sissel’s body and, leaving Lynne to pore curiously over Kamila’s newest project, they went on a walk.</p><p>On this beautiful warm fall day, it was impossible to stay down at heel or worried for long. Alma and Missile strode along with good will, his tiny black nose quivering as he sniffed and snorted at every leaf and every possible cored item. They came to the park before too long, and Missile raised his head, ears pricked to a call only he could hear. He dashed away from Alma, barking, and Alma broke into a run after him. He got to the playground, with its tall trees all around, and planted his paws at the base of the very tallest, barking for all he was worth.</p><p>Alma looked up. At the top of the tree, a leaf quivered, but it was firmly caught in a tangle of branches and it was far from anything else.</p><p>“Stuck in a tree, huh?” she muttered. “You are <em>such</em> a cat.” She sighed, and looked down at Missile. “Is he in that leaf?”</p><p>He grinned at her and barked a few times—once for yes, twice for no was supposed to be the code, but he always forgot when he was overly excited—and she nodded. “Stay here, buddy. Guess I’m climbing a tree.”</p><p>She thanked her lucky stars she’d already changed out of her work clothes and into something more appropriate for the frankly ridiculous thing she was about to do. Dropping the bag by Missile, she made a jump for the lowest branch. It had been years since she’d climbed a tree. Hopefully it was like riding a bicycle.</p><p>…It wasn’t, but she didn’t fall, and she climbed, carefully reaching hands and feet to their cautious next holds. It was liberating, in a way, knowing she probably wouldn’t stay dead if she fell, of course, and being able to just talk to Sissel would be a big plus, but she didn’t fancy the notion of the pain falling out of a tree would cause, nor did she want to have to explain this to either Jowd or Cabanela.</p><p>At last, she reached the place on the tree where she was sure she could climb no higher. This dizzy, breezy perch had no more branches that could accommodate her, only twigs and the nested tangle that held Sissel’s leaf. She reached out, but it was out of reach. Her climbing had disturbed the tangle, and it looked ready to fall apart. The leaf quivered a little; it looked as if it could possibly slip out and fly away any moment. This, of course, would have the effect of freeing Sissel, but who knew where he’d end up? Not to mention Alma had already climbed the damn tree. She wasn’t coming down without her cat.</p><p>She thought for a minute, then reached back and, with caution, untied her hair ribbon, reaching forward and letting it fly in the wind. “Here, kitty, kitty…” After a moment the leaf flew away. Alma pulled her arm back and stuffed the ribbon into her pocket, hoping it had been enough, and looked down. My goodness, it looked a lot further to climb down. Missile barked and danced at the foot of the tree, her bag sitting innocently next to him. Alma sighed yet again and began the climb.</p><p>After a small eternity, she made it down to the biggest branches of the tree, then dropped to the ground, breathing an enormous sigh of relief. She threw the ribbon in the bag and held her breath. A moment later, there came Sissel’s rusty mewl and he poked his head up, watching her with his great golden eyes.</p><p>“I want an explanation for this, young man,” Alma said to him, and they went home, Missile frolicking ahead of her and barking the whole way. By the time they got home, Jowd and Cabanela were there, the wine was uncorked, the dinner was served, and Alma could relax. Kamila seized upon Sissel’s miraculous recovery with glee; the adults looked over her head and smiled as she squeezed Sissel an amount that would have made a normal kitten squeak and struggle away.</p><p>That night, after Kamila went to bed, Alma bearded the lion in his lair, or, at least caught the kitten on his heat vent, and made Jowd translate for her. It was a simple enough tale, quickly told—a cat, curious about something he had seen in the park, had gone on a midnight stroll and gotten stuck in a tree. With the exception of the “being dead” bit, it was a completely normal story, although Jowd added with a hearty chuckle that Sissel had not particularly appreciated the “Here, kitty, kitty” bit. Alma, somewhat tartly, retorted that she hadn’t appreciated the “climbing a tree” section of the tale, so as far as she was concerned, they were even. She hadn’t known a cat could roll his eyes before they’d gotten Sissel. She was certainly aware of the fact nowadays. The congruencies of pet and owner, indeed! In any case, Jowd passed on Sissel's thanks. He'd been bored, Jowd added.</p><p> Alma sighed and shook her head. Sissel might have been bored, but there was no such luxury granted her in her life with that cat, or, indeed, that man or that other man or that daughter or... No end of trouble from her family one and all, but she’d rather it be that way than any other. With the help of that same family, they’d get through each day all the same.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ahh!! I'm so sorry, I forgot to upload this treat! A least I got it before author reveals?</p><p>Anyway, uh, happy BELATED Chocobox and I hope you enjoy this silly slice of life fluff!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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